North Carolina updates 20,000 voter records, seeks more ID numbers

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Voter registration records for more than 20,000 people in North Carolina have been successfully amended thus far in an effort by election officials to add missing identification numbers.

In mid-July, the State Board of Elections began formally an effort that seeks to resolve a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department that focused on voter registration records that lacked either a voter’s driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Federal and state laws have directed that election officials request this ID information since 2004, but for about a decade the state’s registration form failed to make clear that voters were supposed to provide it if they had it.

A ” now Republican-controlled state board — flipped from a Democratic majority in the spring — created a public online database with the names of 103,270 registrants the lacking the numerical identifiers. They were asked to provide an ID number through the Division of Motor Vehicles website or by visiting their county election board offices. County election officials also have conducted research to update records.

As of Monday, the registrants on the list had fallen 20% to 82,540, an election board news release said.

As planned, the board is now sending letters to those who haven’t already acted and offered a numerical ID, or have yet to indicate that they have neither a driver’s license nor a Social Security number. The letter recipients are being told they can mail in their ID number with postage-paid return envelopes provided, in addition to the DMV and in-person options.

“It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s free,” board Executive Director Sam Hayes said, adding that taking action now will “avoid any issues the next time they show up to vote.”

People on the list who don’t provide the information will have to vote provisionally the next time they cast a ballot — meaning their ballots may not count in some state and local races without correct ID information. Municipal elections will be held starting next month. The board release said that paper and electronic voter rolls will flag these voters so they vote with a provisional ballot and provide missing information for their ballot to count.

The missing numerical IDs led to other complaints and litigation leading to the 2024 elections and played a prominent part in a very close judicial race. U.S. attorneys have contended that accurate registration rolls help ensure fair and reliable election results. Many Democrats said these voters are already being scrutinized because they already have to show a photo ID to vote like everyone else.

North Carolina has 7.57 million registered voters and is considered a perpetual battleground state. Close elections could be affected if registrants cast ballots that ultimately aren’t counted.

Another mailing will go out at a later date to close to 100,000 additional voters whose records also lack the identifiers but will be allowed to continue casting regular ballots because there’s evidence, for example, that they supplied a number or an alternate ID as allowed under the law.